Contents

Lauer was born in New York City in 1957,[2] the son of Marilyn Kolmer (née Gentry), a boutique owner, and Jay Robert Lauer, a bicycle-company executive.[4][5] His parents divorced during his youth, and his father died in 1997. Lauer had become co-host of The Today Show, replacing longtime host Bryant Gumbel in early 1997, not long before his father's death.[6]

Lauer's father was of Romanian Jewish heritage, as seen on the Today Show's Finding Our Roots.[7] In 1999, both Lauer and his co-host Katie Couric initially resisted participation in the proposed series about their family roots. The series was a hit, and Lauer was moved by what he learned about his immigrant ancestors. "My dad was Jewish. My mom is not. So I was not raised anything. I do feel a desire now to find something spiritual. Getting married and wanting to have kids has something to do with that."[6][8]

Lauer is a graduate of the School of Media Arts and Studies (formerly the School of Telecommunications) of Ohio University. He attended Ivy Tech, but dropped out. In 1997, he received his undergraduate degree from Ohio University at the age of 39. He had dropped out of Ohio University's School of Telecommunications in the Spring of 1979.[9] Lauer began his television career in 1979 as a producer of the 12 o'clock news for WOWK-TV in Huntington, West Virginia. By 1980, he had become an on-air reporter on the 6 and 11 o'clock newscasts. He then started to move around the country, hosting a number of weekly information and talk programs in Boston, Philadelphia, Providence and Richmond.[3] He was also host of PM Magazine in Providence, RI and then in 1984 at WNEW-TV in New York City until the show's cancellation in 1986. In 1986 he co-hosted with Jill Rappaport WNYW-TV's Made In New York for its fifteen week run on the station. He also worked for ESPN in the 1980s. He worked on the show "Talk of the Town" during 1988.[citation needed]

From 1989 to 1991, Lauer hosted a three-hour live interview program, WWOR-TV's 9 Broadcast Plaza.[10] In 1990, he was hired by the Kushner-Locke Company to host a pilot called "Day In Court," executive produced by veteran producer David Sams, who helped to launch The Oprah Winfrey Show into national syndication. The program was retitled "Trial Watch" when it went to series, and ran on the NBC network for two seasons. NBC hired Rob Weller as host over Lauer when the program was picked up as a daily series. The same year, he filmed a pilot for WWE's Vince McMahon, focused on a new bodybuilding league, though he was not picked up for the series.[citation needed] In 1991 he appeared as the co-host (along with Willow Bay) of "Etc., Etc.", a show on The Travel Channel. Lauer moved to WNBC-TV in 1992 where he became co-anchor, alongside Jane Hanson, of the early weekday news show Today in New York. After a year, he also filled the role of Live at Five co-anchor with Sue Simmons.[10] He held that job until 1996.

Lauer's on-camera presence provided him with many opportunities with NBC's national news organization while working for WNBC in New York.[11] Lauer filled in as the newsreader on The Today Show for Margaret Larson when needed from 1992 to 1993.[10] This "audition" period allowed him to join The Today Show full-time in January 1994 as news anchor, while still co-anchoring Today in New York and Live at Five.[12]

On some occasions, interviews conducted by Lauer have escalated into tense exchanges. In a June 2005 interview, Tom Cruise argued with Lauer about psychiatry and postpartum depression and called Lauer "glib".[19] In December 2008, more than three years later, Cruise said he regretted the exchange, and arm-wrestled Matt Lauer in the same studio where the confrontation took place.[20]

In a June 2006 interview with Ann Coulter, Coulter responded to Lauer's questioning her criticism of September 11, 2001 widows and said, "You're getting testy with me."[21]

On December 30, 2009, during an on-set birthday party for him, Lauer introduced Abe Vigoda, star of the TV shows Barney Miller and Fish, who was standing behind the cameras. Lauer invited Vigoda to sit on the couch, where Lauer announced that Vigoda was his favorite guest on the Today show.[citation needed]

In November 2006, Lauer and his daughter Romy hosted the Sesame Street direct-to-DVD show Sesame Beginnings: Exploring Together.[22]

Lauer had a guest appearance as himself on a live episode of Will & Grace in early 2006.[25] (Former co-host Katie Couric had a guest appearance as herself on an episode of the same NBC sitcom a few years earlier.)[26][27]

Lauer served as the 2009 Class Day speaker at Harvard University's undergraduate commencement ceremonies on June 3, 2009.[29]

Lauer appeared as himself in the Land of the Lost movie, appearing in the beginning when Rick Marshall (Will Ferrell) appears on his show and single-handedly ruins his career.[30] Lauer appears again at the end of the film, when Marshall shows up with his new book, Matt Lauer Can Suck It. Both scenes end in violent physical confrontation between the two, with the staff trying to break them up.

On the April 5, 2012, program, Lauer announced that he had signed a new contract with NBC News. The contract will reportedly pay Lauer $25 million annually.[1]

Although it was widely reported by gossip websites that Lauer had much to do with his then co-host, Ann Curry's departure, these reports were later proven to be untrue. Ann Curry's departure was planned by then Today executive producer, Jim Bell. The plan was called "Operation Bambi". Lauer wanted Bell to delay the departure of Curry.[31][32]

During the 2014 Winter Olympics, prime-time host Bob Costas suffered a major eye infection over the first five days of primetime coverage. As a result, Lauer replaced him for the sixth day of coverage.

Lauer was married from 1981 until 1988, to television producer Nancy Alspaugh. The marriage ended in divorce. From 1989 until 1996, he dated Kristen Gesswein, a television newscaster. They were briefly engaged.[2] In 1998, he married Annette Roque,[36] a Dutch model known as "Jade." They have three children: Jack Matthew (b. June 26, 2001), Romy (b. October 2, 2003), and Thijs (pronounced "Tice") (b. November 28, 2006). Although Roque filed for divorce in Manhattan Supreme Court on September 13, 2006, while pregnant with their third child, the couple subsequently reconciled.[37]